An SG-1 Holiday

In-Between from the Gate to Vannas Universe

Chapter One: Some Time Away

Daniel didn't think any part of this was a good idea but Jack had been belligerently determined that they were going to do this so here he was smiling and nodding as they pushed the door open on a small cabin in the woods. It was on the edge of Damnation territory and the leader of the Infidels was thrilled they were so close, even if it was just for a couple of days.

It had been almost six months since Malachi's curse was broken and they had been living with very little excitement for most of that time. Jack decided that it was time to have some time away from the Vannas Island, getting back to basics and just spending some time together. It was the queen who recommended this cabin to stay in, so they were taking a vacation. And Jack decided a good ole fashioned Christmas was in order. As he looked at the small space outside, he hoped this was one of those magic things then they opened the door and stumbled into the grand foyer and he sighed.

Jack gave a thrilled little whoop and Malachi looked at his Papa, little frown on his face. Daniel smiled and leaned over to press a kiss to his son's head as he ushered all the children into the open space that shouldn't fit into the small outside structure.

"I love magic sometimes, seriously how do they do this?" Daniel's husband said excitedly, his blue eyes bouncing off the walls and into the rooms they could see from here. Most days Jack could and would leave magic out of their life but other times, like having a 'cabin' that was big enough for their family of seven, magic was all right then.

"It is an illusion on the outside, whoever built it used a compacting spell to allow for more usage of space on a smaller plot of land or possibly to make it less conspicuous," Zale responded as he pushed his way into the house and immediately started walking towards the stairs off to the right but Jack just said "Aht! Z-Man we are going to sit together and figure out where everyone is settling before we go roaming."

Their thirteen-going-on-sixteen sullen son rolled his eyes at his Papa's tone before he dropped his bag on the floor and slumped into a nearby chair in the main part of the first floor which was pretty open. Daniel couldn't stop the snort at the exchange, Zale and Zada were never disrespectful but sometimes especially lately they were moody, just came with the territory of teens. Janet and Claire bounced happily into the living room and Johnny followed close behind. Greer wasn't with them despite some frustration on the royal son's part, he hated to be parted from Johnny but their son had been pleased for a little bit of family time. They had left everyone else behind and that's what Jack wanted.

So that's what they were doing.

Jack's dad wasn't even with them, he was apparently taking over the house in the Valley, hanging with Jacob and playing some 'card' games while they were gone, that's what he told Daniel anyway.

Daniel loved the idea of being away from all the other things that take them away from each other but he was concerned about being off the protected island, concerned someone would come after them and there would be nothing Jack and Daniel could do to protect the kids, it would end up being the kid's responsibility to protect and defend, something that Daniel had a desperately hard time swallowing. He didn't like being Daddy to thirteen year olds because they were only about three years from declaring themselves adults and walking away, leaving Daniel with a twinge in his heart.

Thankfully Claire and Janet seemed to love their youth and were in no hurry to be grown-ups, Johnny and Malachi as well. Jack and Daniel finally dragged the last two bags into the front entry and then stumbled into the living room and flopped together into a small couch with Malachi tucked into Jack's lap. They were teleported here so there was no jet lag but Malachi was missing his nap and even after six months the youngest still easily tired from trying to play catch up with his body.

"Okay, we are only going to be here for about five days before we are going to head back to the Valley and Pop and our jobs and everything but this trip is about being together as a family. We can do whatever we want within reason and stay together please since we are not at present protected like we are in the valley. No playing outside after dark and be nice please," the last comment was pointedly aimed at Zada and Zale who just raised twin brown eyebrows in question before Jack shook his head.

"Master bedroom is for Papa, Malachi and me, go pick out your room and come back down and help us get the food and stuff settled please."

There was a chorus of 'okays' then the kids were clambering up the stairs, their voices rising steadily as they looked around and fought over which room was going to who and if dibs worked here. Daniel just shook his head, leaned gently into Jack's side and pressed his finger into Malachi's fist. The little boy smiled with all his little teeth and his dual colored eyes shimmered in happiness of having Papa and Daddy with him for the moment.

"Why is this so important right now Jack?" Daniel asked.

"I told you when I said I wanted to go on a vacation."

Daniel rolled his eyes, his head down turned though he was sure Jack knew he was doing, especially when the arm came around Daniel's shoulders and Jack flicked at the back of his ear. Daniel hissed a little at the slight discomfort and poked Jack in the side, where his age was starting to show just a little in a little pudge in his belly. The fleshy deposits where Malachi got his milk from for the first six months of his life were now tightened up once again and there was nothing remaining to say Jack had once carried Malachi in his body.

"Tell me again please?" Daniel finally asked.

"It's been so long since it was just our family if that's ever actually happened. I see the Z-twins growing before our eyes and becoming teenagers and Malachi's accelerated growth, I just feel like we are missing our chance to just be together. We're running out of time."

Daniel shifted so he could look at Jack, it was easy to recognize the anxiety there. He saw the fear and how that had compelled Jack to do this. He had been scared, they both were, when there was nothing to do for Malachi except help him through each of the symptoms. He shifted and wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders and the other was still held in Malachi's fist. He pressed a kiss into Jack's mouth and pressed his forehead into Jack's temple as the Papa stared down at their son. "We're not out of time love, I promise you are going to have years more with our children."

"And you Danny, do we have time?" Jack whispered and Daniel might have been a little concerned but his lips were tilting up a little in a smirk but Daniel pressed another kiss to his cheek before he spoke.

"I promised you all my years Colonel Jack, I am not about to back out now when are only a couple years from having our teens start becoming more independent and maybe falling in love and making us grandpapas."

"Because then we will only have four children," Jack said with a snort and a shake of his head.

"No we'll have six still but some of them will be making a mess of their adulthood and we just get to be loudly judging in our slightly quieter house."

Jack snorted at that then gripped Daniel tightly to him, smiling as he pressed a wet and open-mouthed kiss to Daniel's lips.

Malachi mumbled a little, done with being not the center of attention for too long. Daniel chuckled, leaning down and pressed a kiss to their son's head. Malachi's hair was staying dark blonde for the moment and he didn't know who the kid was going to resemble but he was still one of the most beautiful children Daniel had ever seen, because he wasn't just their son. He was something unique, he was their Spark.

Zale got settled in one of the rooms upstairs and watched as Johnny unpacked some of his books and clothes quietly. He couldn't help but watch his little brother sometimes, he was a wonder, like Malachi. They were so weak in some ways but they were resilient, something that Dad and Pop had always taught them, magic wasn't everything. It didn't make things easier, it didn't make everything good and happy. Magic was a tool and it was one that Zale enjoyed using but when he looked at his fathers, and he looked to Johnny he knew they were right. His family was the strength that he needed.

"Such heavy thoughts Brother," Johnny whispered into his mind. Zale knew Johnny couldn't read his mind; they could only read surface thoughts when they were touching each other. He was just perceptive and he knew his brother.

"I think all the heavy thoughts these days, I think it is part of growing up."

Johnny chuckled, the noiseless laugh still a cheerful thing to see, "Then I am pleased I am years from such a thing."

Zale chuckled as well. At nine, Johnny was incredibly mature for his age. They all were, after everything and sometimes Zale hates the creature in his head because it took away his chance to really be a kid, to have innocence of a child. "I think you always had it right JJ. As long as we have Dad and Pop and each other, we're going to make it through anything. They always said it but it was something that I believed because I was a kid. Now its different, we have made it through so much together now."

"Why does it bother you then to be here and together?"

Zale shook his head, "It doesn't, I just find myself with a wealth of emotion and I don't know how to deal with it. It is as if someone else in in control, not Xylander, but something new."

There was a gentle rap against the door and they both looked over to see Daddy Daniel at the door. He was giving one of those gentle smiles that Zale always knew came with thinking how much Daddy loved them, he always looked like that when he was thinking about them.

"I didn't want to eavesdrop Z-Man, if you want to talk though, I'm here for you and so is Papa."

Zale sighed and shored up his defenses, not against his Dad but against the pull of feelings he was constantly tethered to these days. "I know Dad, I am just sick of always feeling out of control."

Dad walked into the room and pressed a hand to Zale's shoulder and he knew his father wanted to tuck him close and cuddle with him but he was holding back in difference to Zale's new 'manly pride'. It was strange to be close to his father's height, that growth seemed to have happened so quickly he was constantly having what Papa called 'growing pains' and it seemed to be normal unlike what they dealt with for Malachi's curse. "There is very little in life you can actually control Z, let the rest of it go especially right now. We came here to be a family without all that stuff from home okay?"

Zale nodded and watched as Dad turned and ruffled Johnny's head then kissed the younger boy's forehead before he moved on to the slightly larger room down the hall where Zada and the twins were sleeping for the duration. The third room was for Pop and Dad as well as Malachi, despite the fact that the youngest of his siblings was physically about two years old; he had only been alive for about nine months. Zale's parents were still very leery about leaving Malachi on his own and none of the Jackson-O'Neill blamed them for it since all of them were very protective of their littlest brother.

"We should go look around outside, maybe do some training."

Johnny just rolled his eyes and shook his head, "Or we could play a game."

Zale snorted but went back to grabbing some of his belongings, sifting through until he grabbed his wooden sword and walked out so he could ask Zada to spar with him. It was a part of their schoolwork to maintain good weapon training and hand-to-hand combat as well but they were not required much in the way of hand-to-hand just yet. Pop and Uncle Teal'c were two of their teachers but Zale knew that his father was taking it easy after everything that happened with Malachi and he knew he was getting rusty.

He walked down the hallway, passing Dad giving the man a quick smile. Dad smiled back and opened his arms and Zale couldn't help but fold himself into Dad's arms for a quick embrace. Dad pressed a quick kiss to the side of Zale's head then quickly released him again leaving Zale sniffling a little at the easy comfort before he coughed and knocked on the door and found his sisters all in their room.

"Zada, you want to go outside and spar?" he asked.

"Z-Man, we can to have a vacation, not spar," Zada admonished him gently.

"Zale, why do you want to fight?" Zada asked while Claire grabbed Janet's hand and dragged her twin out of the room without waving or saying anything to their eldest brother. He was sure they were going to go downstairs and play with Malachi; it was one of their favorite pastimes. He looked back at Zada.

"Was that a no?" he asked, brow raised.

She snickered, "No. Let me get my sword and we can train near the house. You know Daddy and Papa are not going to let us go much father." He looked over at his sister and realized again that she was looking a little more like her bio-mom but there was a lot of Papa and Dad in her, physically though she was looking more and more like a young woman then a girl. It was odd in many ways to see her in such a way, knowing that some day she was going to find a boy or a girl that would be her partner and she would leave and become someone on her own, not just his beloved sister and twin.

"We can make it work," Zale said with a shrug as he released the thoughts then walked out of the room and headed downstairs. He walked by the front room where Malachi was sitting between Dad's outstretched legs, wobbling on his chubby little legs with Janet and Claire in front of him, praising him and cheering as he took one wobbly step then another, without releasing Dad's hands. Pop was sitting on the couch watching with a small smile. Zale understood why they were all so happy to see him doing any of those things; it was impossible for Zale not to appreciate the fact that his youngest brother was walking a little at a time. For Zada, Janet Claire and himself all of those little moments had happened so effortlessly and in high speed, it was hard to see the pain and anxiety in their fathers as they all worked hard getting Malachi up to speed.

"Dad. Pop. Can Zada and I go out and spar?" he asked gently.

Pop nodded and Dad looked up and smiled, "Stay close Z."

"Will do Dad," he said and started walking out of the house, pausing when he heard Pop whispering to Dad.

"I miss being Papa, he's getting so big," Zale could hear the sigh in his father's voice.

"I know love," Dad responded gently and Zale sighed, feeling guilt despite the fact that there was nothing to feel guilty over. He walked out the door and flopped down on the top step and dropped his practice sword down on the floor and pressed his fingers into his eyes then ran his fingers through his hair in frustrated movements. The door opened behind him and he pulled himself together then realized it was Zada and just sighed.

"Just talk to them Z," Zada said with a scoff.

Zale sighed again, "I don't want them to feel bad about things. It's not their fault."

"Come on, let's spar and we can get some of that stupid knocked out of your head."

Zale laughed and got up with some help from his sister before they moved off to the side of the house and started sparring, letting all the weird things in his head, all the hard times and pain of recent circumstances slip away in the clash of sword on sword, and the heaving breath and the strength in his limbs. It was all so simple and exactly what he needed.